To save a life
by Echoflame of FireClan
Summary: Something is wrong. Littlewhisker searches for answers. There is a cat that dooms FrostClan. Ripplepaw, the shady apprentice who disappears at night? Her bitter brother, Ravenpaw? No, not her, not him... Her brother. His kits. Firepaw's? Sandleaf's? In a Clan of killers, they're all suspects. But in the end, old medicine cat Nightshadow's only advice: No. Save a different life.


**Okay, this is my brand new story. (AKA my second.) I'm not going to do allegiances or anything, partly cuz I'm lazy, partly because I want you guys to submit OCs. Okay, so, here goes!**

**Also not telling you the main characters. It is set in FrostClan, there you go. The other Clans are LeafClan, BreezeClan, and SunClan.**

Nightshadow shifted uncomfortably. She could feel Ripplepaw staring at her, and she didn't like it one bit. That apprentice was up to no good, and her litter-mates weren't much better.

"Ripplepaw?" There was Firepaw. At least he _kind _of cared. "Do you have the… medicine stuff?"

"I would, if slowpoke here would move faster," Ripplepaw snarled back. Her calico tail lashed angrily. "How long does it really take?"

Nightshadow ignored her. "Littlewhisker, can you chew this into a poultice, please?"

Her apprentice scurried forward, chewing the herbs and wrapping them up. Nightshadow passed him some beech leaves.

"Catchweed?"

"Yes, yes, of course." She passed him the small burrs, careful not to let them stick to her pad. "Littlewhisker, see that Ravenpaw is all right. I have to speak with Ripplepaw."

The tortoiseshell apprentice bristled. "What? But I have to go see Ravenpaw with Firepaw!"

"You care so much about your litter-mate," Nightshadow remarked dryly. "Come."

"I don't have to."

"I am your elder. Come."

Ripplepaw's eyes grew dangerously bright, but she stepped farther into the den, pointedly wrinkling her nose at the stench of herbs. "What?"

"What is it that you want?"

Ripplepaw blinked. "What?"

"What do you want?" Nightshadow repeated. "I don't understand you. You don't care about your litter-mates, that I am sure of."

"That's a terrible thing to say."

Nightshadow waved her off. "Pfft. You know it's true. And you don't care for a mate, either. I've seen you, your walks. I'm confident you're not meeting some tom, or conspiring against FrostClan." The old medicine cat cocked her head. "So what is it?"

There was a glimmer in Ripplepaw's bright yellow eyes. "Insanity?" she murmured, like it was a question. "I'm _proud_ of you, Nightshadow. You've figure me out!" She cackled, and got to her feet. "Not."

She left the den, and NIghtshadow did not move to stop her. She sat there, breathing in the scent of herbs and thinking until Littlewhisker trotted inside. He halted immediately. "Nightshadow, what is it?"

She shot him a look. "You know. While we were out."

His gaze travels across the destroyed herbs. "Oh. Well—"

"Sageflower has whitecough."

Littlewhisker stumbled. "What? But it was only—"

"Hush. Everything I might have used—catmint, chickweed, even lavender—destroyed."

"We know who did it."

"Do we? I'm not convinced Ripplepaw is completely in control of her actions."

Littlewhisker scoffed. "We need to get her thrown out."

"And inflame her desire for revenge?"

Littlewhisker did not reply.

"I thought so."

Nightshadow stood up, an herb in her jaws that Littlewhisker had not noticed that she was carrying before. "I'm going to the Waterfall Cave."

Littlewhisker gave a start. "What? On your own?"

Nightshadow purred, but it quickly turned into a hacking cough.

"Nightshadow, I don't think you're in any condition to travel."

"Trust me on this, Littlewhisker. I'm ready."

She said it with such finality; it meant so much more.

She picked up the herbs that she'd dropped while speaking. "Goodbye," she whispered. "And Littlewhisker?"

"Mm-hmm?"

"You'll be a great medicine cat." Her yellow-green eyes pooled with tears, and then she was gone.

Littlewhisker sat there for a while. Something was bugging him. Why had his mentor been acting so strange. 'You'll be a great medicine cat?' Thanks, I guess.

The herbs that she'd had. They were lavender.

To cover the scent of death.

With a yowl, Littlewhisker sprang out of the den, out of camp, running as fast as his legs allowed him. He was young compared to Nightshadow, but he was no kit. He was panting hard by the time he arrived at the Waterfall Cave, and his left hind-leg was aching.

He arrived just in time to see Nightshadow crumple by the Moonstone—Not the original Moonstone, but the new one that glowed in the dim light that filtered through the waterfall.

"NIghtshadow!" She was only asleep—but there was the smell of lavender on her breath. He rushed to her, lay down, and touched his nose to the stone. Maybe StarClan would allow him to walk in her dreams. After all, she wasn't dying now, right?

He closed his eyes, and was wrapped in a thick blanket of night.

He woke standing up. With his eyes open.

"Littlewhisker… You are not meant to be here."

Littlewhisker's heart cracked a little bit. "Songwisp?"

"My kit."

"Not anymore. I'm growing—Never mind! Where is Nightshadow."

His mother's yellow eyes grew sad. "This was her choice, Littlewhisker. She is wiser than us all."

"No!"

"Littlewhisker…"

He whipped around. There she stood, pitch black, her amber eyes sparkling. She looked moons younger, and—happier.

"Nightshadow." His voice broke. "What are you doing?"

"What I should have done a while ago."

"Are you… leaving me?"

"Are you a medicine cat or not?" Nightshadow's tone was not sentimental, just sharp, amused, scolding. "No one ever really leaves you. I'll be in LostClan."

"What if I need you here?"

Nightshadow rolled her eyes. "It's not as if you're a brand new apprentice. You've been my apprentice for moons; you have a full medicine cat status. You'll be fine."

"That's not what I meant. What do I do when I need an apprentice? I'm getting old."

"Not as old as me."

"But old."

"You'll find someone." Images spun to life and danced in Littlewhisker's eyes; a multi-colored she-cat, brown and ginger and black and white, a dark gray she-cat with a white underbelly, a black and white she-cat with blue eyes, and a dark brown tom with black circles around his eyes. Littlewhisker stumbled. "What does it mean? Will one of them be my apprentice?"

"In due time," Nightshadow whispered, and Littlewhisker's world dissolved into blackness. Her words repeated, the whispers growing steadily louder, overlapping each other, until Littlewhisker woke with a start.

Nightshadow lay next to him. She was cold and unmoving, and a tear trickled out of Leafwhisker's eye.

Firepaw shifted.

"Firepaw?"

Firepaw whirled around. "Ravenpaw!" His brother was sitting up.

"What happened?"

"The badger took a chunk out of your shoulder after you conked out," Firepaw said flippantly.

"But… what about our warrior ceremony?"

"Sandpaw and Sagepaw already had theirs—They're Sandleaf and Sageflower now." He broke off, thinking of the pretty golden she-cat.

"And?" Ravenpaw grumbled.

Firepaw sighed. "We're having ours tomorrow."

Ravenpaw brightened. "Me, too?"

Firepaw hesitated. "No. Me and Ripplepaw."

Ravenpaw's eyes slid into slits. "Of course."

"You'll get yours as soon as you recover," Firepaw assured his brother, but his heart wasn't really in it. Of course, his heart had belonged to Sandleaf for a while now, and now his eyes followed her as she chatted with her sister, Sageflower. Firepaw wrinkled his nose. He had never like the black and white she-cat—Her fur was always matted, and she was a wimp. But he was kind to her anyway, so he didn't get why she always—Ah, never mind. It does no good to dwell on things that don't matter.

There was a scraping sound near the entrance to the camp. Firepaw lifted his head and tasted the air. Littlewhisker! And someone else too, but the smell was dampened and cold.

"Littlewhisker?" He stepped forwards cautiously. He'd never quite liked the medicine cat, who acted _so superior_, and bla. But never mind.

Littlewhisker collapsed onto the ground as soon as he came in. He had been dragging someone else—a black scrap of fur.

"Nightshadow!" Furious, Firepaw rounded on Littlewhisker. "You killed her!"

Littlewhisker blinked. "What? No! I would never! She chose to die; _she _journeyed to the Waterfall Cave. I didn't ask for this!"

Drawn by the commotion, Sandleaf hurried over. "What's the—" But she was cut off as she looked down at Nightshadow's body. "Oh. Oh, dear."She backed up a little, calling over her shoulder, "Hawkstar? Ebonystripe?"

Hawkstar was Nightshadow's brother, and he hurried over. His eyes widened as he saw his dead sister's body. "No," he whispered.

Looking exhausted, Littlewhisker sat up. "She traveled to the Moonpool. She is with our ancestors. I saw her."

"LostClan?" Hawkstar queried.

Sandleaf frowned, irritated. Oh, come on! Like Nightshadow would join _StarClan. _She didn't have any connection to them anyway.

Littlewhisker nodded. "I saw… Songwisp."

Hawkstar softened at his daughter's name. "Then she is in good hands."

Littlewhisker only nodded weakly. Sandleaf tried to hide her disdain. Nightshadow had been a medicine cat. She was in her element. Right?

Beside her her sister, Sageflower, looked distraught. Sandleaf did her best not to roll her eyes, and looked expectantly to Hawkstar, who mewed quietly. "We'll bury her at dusk."

Sandleaf nodded, and looked pointedly to Firepaw, who gave a start and trotted over to her. She smiled into his big blue eyes. "Come on," she mewed softly. "Let's go for a walk."

They padded out of Clan territory together. They were almost the same age, but Sandleaf and Sageflower had become warriors sooner because of the battle—well, it was a raid—on LeafClan.

"Sandleaf?"

She smiled warmly at him, and her green eyes sparkled. "Yes?"

"When I'm a warrior, well…"

"Yes, I'll be your mate, ya dummy."

Firepaw repressed a smile. "Hey!"

Sandleaf purred. "Mouse brain!" She took off into the forest, and with a happy yowl, he chased after her, Nightshadow completely forgotten.

Ripplepaw sat, her calico pelt completely hidden behind bracken and tree bark, and wached her litter-mate flirt with that useless she-cat. Eurgh.

She cocked her head, and wondered why perfect Sandleaf wasn't fretting over her sister's whitecough. Of course, the cough had gone down quickly, but if stupid Littlewhisker didn't have the herbs to treat it… She'd be dead soon. Maybe the first. Maybe Ripplepaw could credit herself for Nightshadow… But no. She knew all too well that it had been entirely Nightshadow's decision.

As soon as she stepped into camp, Littlewhisker shoved his muzzle into hers. "This is your fault."

Ripplepaw blinked innocently. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Nightshadow died because of _you_."

Starting to get angry, Ripplepaw felt her hackles raise. "Nightshadow _chose _to die, you fool!"

"Sageflower didn't."

"Oh, so _that's _what this is about?" Her hackles lowered, but her claws slid out. She sat down, smiling smugly. "You have no proof that I destroyed your precious herbs."

"Yes, we do!" The medicine cat shook with rage. "Your scent was everywhere!"

Ripplepaw leaned in so her pungent breath hit Littlewhisker right in the face. "So tell Hawkstar."

"I could get you thrown out," Littlewhisker warned.

"Then _do it._"

He stopped. Shut up, glared at her. But he did _nothing._

Ripplepaw smirked. "Thought so. Coward."

She stood up, and walked away.

_Nightshadow, oh, LostClan help me. She will be the end of FrostClan._

_No._

Littlewhisker jumped. "Nightshadow?"

She appeared in front of, but floaty and blurry, like he was seeing her through a haze of steam on the hottest of days. "It is you!"

_She will not be the end. She plays a key part, but she is not the final card played, only one of the last._

"Then who? Who do I look out for?"

_I don't know, _Nightshadow mused, glaring at him. _Her brother? Her brother's kits? You'll find out._

"Why can't you tell me now? Is it Firepaw? Ravenpaw would never take a mate. It's him?"

_I can't tell you, because it would destroy you. Save another life, Littlewhisker. Think of your own problems. It unfolds no matter what you do. We can only pray for the best._

"We pray to _you_! That's why you're here! To protect us!"

_This is beyond our protection. Save a different life._

"What do you mean?" he wailed in angst.

But Nightshadow was already gone.

**Guess what I just realized.**

**This is a FirexSand fic. XD Whatthederp, Echo. yeah, I'm awesome that way. TOTALLY did not realize that.**

**So yeah, review! You can submit OCs if you want, but no deputies, med cats or leaders. Leaders: already decided. Deputies and med cats: Will come up with later.**

**Ciao.**

**REVIEW. YOU KNOW WHAT IT MEANS TO AN AUTHOR TO GET A REVIEW.**


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